Wired audio headphones (as used herein, “headphones” includes any type of device capable of producing audible sounds in response to electrical signals conducted via one or more cords, and that is worn on the head or a part thereof, including but not limited to those of the type sometimes referred to as earbuds, headsets, earphones, and the like, and includes devices with one or two ear pieces) have become more widely used in recent years, particularly in connection with portable audio devices such as the APPLE IPOD™ and smartphones with audio storage capabilities and streaming audio services such as PANDORA™ and SPOTIFY™. The very mobility of these devices has exacerbated a problem—how to store the headphones when not in use in a way that the headphone cord does not become tangled or caught on other objects, particularly when the user is away from his or her home or office. Tangled headphone cords can be messy and inconvenient, and damage to the headphones can occur when a headphone cord becomes caught on another object.
One solution to this problem is a product known as GEAR TIES™, shown in FIG. 1. The GEAR TIES™ product of FIG. 1 is three inches long and is made of a material that retains its shape when deformed. As disclosed on the manufacturer's website (www.niteize.com/product/Gear-Tie-3.asp), the GEAR TIES™ product comprises “a fully bendable wire interior and colorful, durable, soft rubber exterior.” The GEAR TIES™ product is used to wrap around the headphone cord so that the headphone cord is stored in a neat bundle as shown in FIG. 1. One problem with the GEAR TIES™ product is that there is no convenient way to store the product when the headphones are in use. It is possible to wrap the GEAR TIES™ product around the headphone cord when the headphone is in use, but doing so can be annoying to a user because the GEAR TIES™ product would slide along the cord during relative movement between the portable audio device and the headphones. If the GEAR TIES™ product is stored separately from the headphones while the headphones are in use, it can become lost. Other cord storage solutions also suffer from drawbacks. Cord storage bags and twist-tie types of cord ties (the type in which the cord tie ends are twisted around each other) can, like the GEAR TIES™ product, become lost when separated from the headphones. Velcro straps are cumbersome and can become engaged with other material when not being used to secure headphone cords.